Tips For Buying A Sewing Machine Online

You can get some great deals on sewing machines when you purchase them online. Companies that sell them don’t have to worry about the overhead of a brick and mortar store and you get the convenience of having the sewing machine shipped to your front door.

Know What You Want

The drawback of buying anything online is that you can’t see it in person, to give it a try and get a feel for the quality of the sewing machine. I prefer to browse through the local stores, finding the model I want before I go online to find a great deal on it. You may want to find a few comparable machines that you will consider buying and then start your online search for the best deal.

Buy From A Reputable Source

Buy your machine from a reputable source. You want to make sure that what you are buying is the genuine item and in perfect condition. Remember, you want be able to look at the actual machine before you buy. All you get is a stock picture and an item description.

Return Policy

In case there is an issue with the machine, it’s not working, wasn’t what you expected or was damaged in shipping; you need to check out the online store’s return policy before you buy. Pay attention to how long you have to return the item for a refund and make sure you thoroughly check out the machine in that timeframe. Most stores will have a 30-day return policy. Will you be responsible for shipping charges to return the item to the store, or will the store cover it? Having to ship the sewing machine across country to return it could get quite expensive.

Shipping Costs

Since we are on the topic of shipping costs, pay attention to how much each company charges for shipping and handling when you are comparison shopping. You may get what seems like a great deal on the sewing machine, but then pay much more for shipping and handling than you would have at a different store.

Use common sense and do your homework while you shop for a sewing machine online and you can get a great deal on a machine that is perfect for you and have it delivered to your front door.

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Unless you are willing to gamble, buy LOCALLY, especially if you are buying a computerized model. The hands on help and personal service are invaluable. I did buy a more simple machine (from a local walmart) for my daughter who is learning to sew, but I am very comfortable around machines and "took the gamble" - sew far sew good .

Also beware that you should buy from someone local. I purchased my new machine in the U.S. and returning home found that the warrantee was not honoured here. I can still get the machine serviced locally but I have to pay the whole freight if something machine goes wrong or drive the five hours back to the U.S. dealer I bought it from.

You may get a great deal by buying on line but here is what you are missing out on. Who is going to do your warranty work? The dealer you purchased your machine from is responsible for all warranty work. Who is going to teach you to use your machine or help you trouble shoot your sewing problems. The dealer you purchased your machine from is responsible for your lessons. It is better to buy your machine from a brick and motar dealer that you trust, so that you get the support you need. The new electronic and computerized machines can't be taken just anywhere for service. Buyer beware!

I bought my Janome 11000 on line, E-bay to be exact, slighlty used. It is a wonderful machine, I only had a couple HUGE problems. I could not find a dealer who would honor the warrenty, & when the dealer I used looked up the serial number it showed that the machine was last listed with a dealer who had gone out of business and there is no further record of it. HUMMM???? Another HUGE problem was finding a dealer who would service the machine, and provide instruciton. I was really lucky, because the dealer in Santa Fe, NM took pitty on me and gave me all the classes for free and services my machine for free or a nominal fee, depending on what needs to be done. I travel 200 miles to go to classes and use this dealer and I will never go anywhere else or buy a machine from anyone else. I purchased the most recent upgrade for my Janome and they are always coming out with free upgrades or tweeks that you can download for free. I take my machine to Santa Fe to have any upgrades done because it is free and that is much less expensive than having them fix the machine after I have tried to load a free upgrade!

I saved $2,000 by purchasing on line, but I spent way more than that trying to find and dealer and someone to teach me how to use the machine. For an old machine, I would go on-line and not worry about it, but for a newer one, never again!